Adolescent Found Deceased After False Accusations of Taking Ashes
One teenage youth was discovered deceased only a few days following being wrongly accused of stealing the ashes of a dead baby during a burglary, a coroner's inquiry has learned.
Tragic Discovery
Kai Lloyd's mother and father discovered his remains in his room at his Flintshire residence on November 19th, 2021.
False Accusations Start
The inquest heard how his parent got a message on November 8th, 2021 via online platforms, from a individual inquiring if her son was her child. The message stated: "Inform him thanks for breaking into my flat."
In a statement read to the court, the mother said the individual had been in the media, claiming her infant's ashes had been taken in a burglary - a claim which was false.
Police Inquiry
An official inquiry from authorities later determined the supposed burglary complainant had "provided false information" and "it now appears that said property was never stolen in the first place".
Media reports about the supposed taken remains generated social media responses, and although Kai was not identified in the posts, his mother said individuals "knew it was him".
The "social media content were extremely upsetting", she stated.
Emotional Health Impact
She explained that Kai had been diagnosed with moderate attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and as part of that disorder, other peoples' views really mattered to him.
"It would have affected him severely," she said, "especially when this was untrue".
Kai was arrested at home, but no evidence was discovered. He was taken to a police station and later released pending further inquiry.
Police said they would be in touch, the hearing learned, but had failed to reached out to the relatives by the moment of his death.
Isolation and Worry
His parent said her son "withdrew into himself" after the arrest and "would keep asking me whether I had heard anything from the police", because his ADHD meant sometimes "certain periods could seem like much longer".
When she spoke to him about the alleged burglary, she said her child informed her he had entered the house because the resident who lived there had said he could utilize the toilet whenever he needed, but denied taking anything.
Online Bullying
In a joint statement between her and her spouse, the mother said her son was being bullied online after the accusations.
The proceedings heard that a 19-year-old encouraged the teenager to kill himself.
She had no worries on the evening before he passed away, describing how she had listened to him "laughing and joking".
She described him as a "compassionate, loving" boy, and said her "relatives is completely devastated".
He had been "obviously hiding his worries", she said, adding that he could not stand to have anyone "think bad of him".
School Reaction
The inquest received testimony from educational staff at Connah's Quay secondary school.
On November 8th, she "overheard some students talking that the student had been arrested and that was the initial I learned".
"He informed me... he'd done nothing wrong," she continued.
After the conversation, the staff member said she called Kai's parents' landline and provided a message saying she had spoken to the student about the allegations.
The court learned his parents said they did not got that communication.
Official Conclusion
Senior coroner informed the hearing he would wait for documents regarding what improvements had been made to dealing with suspects with the condition, before determining whether he should make a avoidance of future deaths report.
Delivering a descriptive finding, he said: "Around November 8th, 2021, unsubstantiated allegations were made against Kai Benjamin Lloyd, a young individual.
"Likely untruths were subsequently embellished and amplified through the medium of online networks.
"On 11 November, he was questioned by the police and following his interview he was released while investigations continued."
The official concluded: "Exists no evidence that the actions or failures of any agency caused or added to his passing and although it was the outcome of a personal action it is impossible to discern his intent."